


The Heart that Slowly Fades

by VintaBox



Series: The Heart that Slowly Fades [1]
Category: Ghost - Mystery Skulls (Music Video), Mystery Skulls
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3897082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintaBox/pseuds/VintaBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had been at this for so long. How could he just... give it up? It's not easy for a ghost to give up a grudge they've held for so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heart that Slowly Fades

**Author's Note:**

> It's a little attempt at doing something Antagonist Lewis related. I wanted to try me hand at some angst and action. Let's start with agnst... and add fighting later!

'Well, this is great, just perfect!' Vivi exclaimed to herself in frustration. She had awakened to near darkness, the only light being a faint magenta glow. A bedroom, she realized. How did I get here? She found herself patting the blanket that kept her warm in the cold room. Vivi was grateful for the small kindness, as faint bursts of her own breath materialized in the chilled night air. She moved a bit, hands roaming towards the side of the bed, finding the hard wood of the end table and the base of a lamp that rested upon it.

“Oh, good!” An irrepressible smile crossed Vivi’s features as a small joy sprang up in her heart at the discovery that the darkness was penetrable. Vivi moved a bit more, shifting her body and letting her legs dangle off the side of the bed. In moments her hand had found its way to the lamp’s switch, but just as she started to press it ---

“Don't.”

Caught in the act, Vivi retracted her hand as if struck, bringing it up to her chest, palms sweating. Her head turned ineluctably towards the source of the sound, her blue eyes meeting a gaze of dull light. Lewis. A breath caught in her throat, the heartbreak of his loss still fresh. It was an agony to see him in this state. Vivi’s body turned to get a better look at Lewis’ ghostly form. Even in the dark room, the contours of his body were familiar to her, so intimate that she could trace them with her eyes, as she had one traced them with her slender hands. I’m so sorry, Lewis.

The memory of their romance was so recent, and yet it seemed so very long ago. If it weren’t for his glowing eyes, that Lewis, her Lewis, could be the body standing there before her. As if afraid to break the spell, Vivi stayed as still as possible as Lewis stood before her, his eyes holding their intense gaze on her face, seeming to brighten with emotion.

It felt like madness.

It was madness.

“Why do you keep doing this to me?” The words had escaped her throat before she had thought better of it, but a moment later Vivi decided she didn’t care. She was tired of Lewis abducting her to some godforsaken locale, forcing Arthur and Mystery to come to her 'rescue' more times than she would ever publicly admit. But now, in this strange bedroom, Arthur and Mystery weren’t there.

Her Lewis wasn’t there.

Only this – antagonist.

Lewis drew closer to her, leaning over the bed, his body mere inches from her face. Even in the chilled room, Vivi could feel the cold emanating from him. The touch of death.

Most frightening of all, Vivi could not discern his visage. Only the haunting, glowing eyes.

“I... I don't know anymore.”

Instinctively, Vivi backed away from the bed and away from Lewis’ unnatural form. As she moved towards the wall, she saw Lewis’ false hair flaring into existence. The pink flame further illuminated the room. 

His body, his face, stood out in relief against the darkness. A damaged skull, death itself.

Vivi let out a soft gasp. “What – what happened to you?” A hand lifted to cover her mouth.

Lewis was dead.

Her Lewis was dead.

But this Lewis – the ghost which abducted her, the ghost which refused to let her see his face -- whose continued influence in her life made it so hard for her to recover from his death -- Vivi had refused to admit that she was developing feelings for him. Mystery had seen through her, this, and warned her about the danger that would follow. Naturally, Vivi had waved off his worry, knowing she could handle herself around the specter.

I’m a 24 year old woman, a paranormal investigator. I will not be afraid.

I am strong.

I do not love him.

But her eyes could not move from his damaged skull. Her heart could not move from her throat.

“I-” Lewis’ voice was staccato, struggling to form words, and Vivi could no longer take it. She took a step towards him to take his attention away from his words, from his pain. In reaction, Lewis moved backward, as if his coldness would be burned by her living body. 

Just as before, Vivi could read the contours of his body. The subtle shake of the shoulders, the depths of his sadness, his alienation. There was no hesitation. Vivi’s arms found themselves wrapping around Lewis, her face pressed against his cold chest.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric of his jacket. That same jacket whose texture she knew so well, had ironed for him, had lifted for him to put his arms through. The same jacket., cold as winter. Beneath her touch Lewis’ large body was trembling.

Vivi moved her head to look up to him, water building up in her eyes. Lewis looked emotionally dead, his head lowered and his hair dulled in brightness. His arms were held up, like he was going to hug her back, but their embrace never came. Vivi lowered her face into his chest, trying to hide the tears as her heart pulled at her.

“I'm sorry, Lew.”

She felt him tense at the words. Lewis hadn’t expected the apology, she gathered, and she wondered whether she had done the right thing. Having no other way to reassure him, Vivi’s arms tightened for a brief moment before she pulled away from Lewis, the small smile on her face from the pleasantness of their embrace fading into worry as she saw tears running down his skull.

Tears, Lewis’ tears.

Vivi blinked, feeling her own hot tears flowing down her face. She reached upward and took his skull into her arms, cradling it. “Oh Lew, I'm so sorry,” she whispered to him, “I didn't mean-”

Vivi felt a cool hand press on her shoulder, and felt her body shift into his hold, arms wrapping about her waist just as they had done a thousand times before during her life. It was enough to break her own heart, but right now, Lewis needed her.

Slipping a hand into her skirt pocket, she retrieved a small cloth and dabbed the tears from Lewis's pale cheekbones, just as if she were wiping the tears from the face of a child. Shifting the hand that held onto him so that it rested in his hair, she felt the first warmth from his chilled body.

Warm, warm like life, warm like summer. Like the picnics they had shared, beneath the open sky, after a day of adventuring. It was a moment of bliss and her face grew radiant through her tears, remembering, loving what was.

Lewis uttered her name. “Vivi,” and eyes met with his, holding that soft magenta she loved so much.

“Yeah, Lew?” she replied softly, returning to reality, placing his head back on his body. The arms around her waist slowly fell away, and Lewis took the cloth from her hand to wipe away the tears that were streaming down Vivi’s face. The tender touch brought a lump to her throat. She could not speak, could not move, could not think.

Lewis stepped away from her, his feet hovering above the ground as he went to a table at the far end of the room. Vivi’s eyes followed him, her body enthralled with emotion.

He retrieved something and held the object for Vivi to consider. “I... I want to give you this.” A stone? Vivi felt curiosity stir in her. Curiosity had always been her weakness. She walked over to Lewis and observed that the item in his hands took the form of a heart. She had seen this heart before, Lewis used to wear it on his suit when they first met. I remember it had an orange glow. He stopped wearing it, didn't he? 

She had never thought that the object was important, but now it was the focus of her attention. And she saw that the heart had turned blue, with spider-thin cracks that stretched out like a web from its center.

Curiosity compelled her to ask, “Lew, what's that?”

Her hands were drawn to touch it, her fingers brushing against the cold surface, running over the cracks. Lewis moved to place it in her hands, curling her figures around it.

“It-” He stopped himself, trying to find the right words, his eyes meeting Vivi’s as she looked up at him with worry. Realization of the object’s true nature dawned on Vivi and she stifled a scream. You have to be strong.

“Oh, Lew, this... it's your heart isn't it?”

Lewis was silent in tacit agreement. Vivi pressed the heart to her chest, feeling its faint beating. So many cracks. A terrifying thought intruded in her mind. Look, look at the damage you have wrought!

“Did -- did I make these?”

She motioned to the spider-web pattern on the heart.

Silence.

Her heart beat tumultuously in her chest, her breath quickening. In her mind, she could hear him saying, let her see what she has done. 

Vivi could not meet his eyes, could only clutch at the heart, her body weakening, tumbling to the floor.

In less than a moment Lewis had knelt down beside her, a worried look on his face as he resumed his mortal appearance, his human form projecting a soft, but sad smile.

“It's alright, Viv, I'm fine, it's... it's only a minor thing, I swear.” As if to underscore the words, Lewis tried to comfort Vivi with a hug, but the touch was more than she could bear. He could hear unintelligible murmurs as she cried against his chest.

It was almost like what they once were.

But it wasn’t.

It couldn’t be, ever again.

Vivi pushed away from Lewis, a hand still holding his broken heart to her chest, the other moving to wipe the tears that stained her face. “Why d-do we keep doing this?”

Her question did surprise him, he knew what she meant, but he didn't have an answer, at least, not one he hadn't already voiced in the past.

“Because we don't know how to do anything else anymore.”

Vivi wiped her eyes again, looking away. She slowly got up with a little help from Lewis and walked over to a nearby couch, dropping down onto the plush cushion. Lewis didn't join her, instead, he hovered a few feet from her, keeping his distance, lighting a few candles that were strewn about the room.

“Did it break the more I kept pushing you away?” Vivi’s voice was fragile, barely audible.

“Vivian.”

Her eyes said a lot, looking at him with sadness and hope. He was still in his human form, as if he were still living. Still her Lewis. Vivi's gaze pulled at his chest, the heart in her hands pulsed orange for a brief moment before returning to its dull blue. He backed away, and turned from her gaze, sitting once more against the corner he had originally occupied when Vivi had awakened.

“What did...” Vivi looked lost, her eyes met with the floor, then the heart. “No one has called me that in years,” she said finally, because there was nothing else that she could say. There was so much that needed to be said. There was so much that needed to be repressed.

Vivi stared at the heart, gripping it tighter. The heart pulsed and she smiled at it, at the sign of life. Turning to Lewis himself, her features faltered when he returned her attention with wide eyes, his body curling in on itself, hiding from her, from whatever it was that remained between them.

“Lewis?” Vivi whispered. She stood and took a few shaky steps towards him, her hands extended towards him, ready to touch him, embrace him.

“Don't... Just don't.”

His voice was like static, broken and low. Vivi could barely hear him but his pain seemed to echo and fill the large room, stopping Vivi in her tracks. He resumed his skeletal form, so different from the Lewis Vivi had loved, and she looked as if he had struck her. “I... Did I say something wrong?” she asked, her hands dropping,

Lewis looked up from the floor, his dull eyes meeting hers. Vivi waited, not wanting to push him, and as she waited she heard a soft crack in the heart she held in her hands. Worry consumed her as she looked at it, and then at Lewis, and ran towards him.

“Vivian-” Vivi held up a hand, stopping him from saying whatever it was he was about to say. Vivian, why do you keep calling me Vivian? It was alien to her ears. And all of this, this blame, this sadness, this broken body -- her own culpability, in Lewis’ eyes – in his heart --

“Stop it!” she uttered, anger and frustration bubbling through her sadness, animating her body. “Lew, I don't remember anything from that night, you know that perfectly well! You can't speak and act in metaphors and expect me to be able to understand your hidden meaning. It’s not fair!” Vivi had unconsciously crossed her arms, and she was glaring at Lewis from beneath her glasses.

The last thing Vivi expected was a faint laugh came from the ghost. “I... I'm sorry.”

The words mollified Vivi, and she saw that he meant it, regretted that he had hurt her. It had been so long since anyone had cared about him. “Lewis, I... Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean -- I still -- .”

She shifted a bit, unsure on whether to continue, but when Lewis didn't stop her, she did.

“Whatever this is – whatever you are now – chasing us, chasing Arthur. Stealing me away to... I don't know, not let me see what you do? I'm always unsure on that part.”

Vivi smiled, looking at the heart, noticing the pulse of orange it gave. A rush of happiness washed over her. Lewis uncurled a bit when tears formed in her eyes.

“Lew, can we just... can we just start over? Do you even know Arthur's side of the story?” Tears ran down her face, daring to hope that maybe, maybe there could be some kind of return to normalcy, maybe not exactly like the way things were, but....

Lewis stood and leaned over to hug Vivi, instead of answering her. She didn't push him away and he took her in his arms and walked her back over to the couch, settling her down once again, before considering her words.

“I... I don't think I've ever let him actually explain, I kind of... scare him into silence ever time that he tries.”

He was angry. He had every reason to be angry, but now Vivi was making him feel ashamed. Lewis was rubbing his arm when he noticed Vivi glaring at him. He cringed, stepping away from her.

“You are an IDIOT!”

Vivi had bellowed the word so loud that Lewis jumped, watching her cautiously as she placed his heart down on the couch and stood up, throwing her arms up in the air in sheer frustration, as if to beat some sense into him.

“HE WAS POSSESSED, LEWIS! POSSESSED! Do you really think that Arthur, a guy who's scared to the bone by just everything, would ever have the nerve to hurt anyone, let alone his 'best friend'?”

The emphasis she’d placed on those last words was intended to highlight how severely Lewis was failing him. But the angry energy was draining out of her as she felt exhausted by dealing with Lewis. Vivi groaned , rubbing her temple, deciding how best to continue.

“Lewis, I'm aware of the story. Both of you have told me the story. Arthur is the first to say that he’s the one at fault. . Hell, even Mystery admitted that Arthur was telling the truth.” Her breath was coming very fast, the words completely exhausting her. The ghost thought she might pass out, but Vivi was not done.

“He was in pain from what he’d done, Lewis. He’s still in pain When we took him to the hospital, I... I knew something horrible had happened, I didn't know what, but I knew. He was broken, for the longest time I didn't think he would ever come back. I didn't know what to do, he just... kind of shut down.”

Shut down. Vivi had reached the limits of her strength. But Lewis could only stare at her in shock., a numb sensation in the back of his mind telling him that something was very wrong. Lewis took a step back away from Vivi, his eyes fallen to the floor. Was his head hurting? How was this possible? Not since – since the cataclysm, had Lewis felt physical pain.

“Lewis?” Vivi asked softly, sensing his pain. His features were filled with confusion, anger, and... fear? Vivi pushed herself to her feet, taking a step closer to him, only to have him counter with a swipe of his hand, flames emitting a lot hotter than she was expecting.

“STAY AWAY!”

Lewis fell to his knees, his hands holding his head, and gave an ear-piercing screech, making Vivi cry out in pain as she covered her ears. Moments later he collapsed, his ghostly form limp on the floor. It took Vivi a moment to recover from the shock of his outburst before she rushed over to the ghost, shaking him, hoping for a reaction of some kind.

“Lewis? LEWIS?!”

“Oh god,” Vivi had pulled him close, cradling what she could grasp, as long as he still held a solid form he was fine, right? Her mind plagued with the possibility that she might actually lose him. Please, I can't lose you again.

There was no answer.


End file.
